PARLIAMENTARY BRIEFING Wild Animals in Circuses Wednesday 3 September 2014 Ten Minute Rule Motion: Jim Fitzpatrick MP That leave be given to bring in a Bill to prohibit the use of wild animals in circuses; and for connected purposes. This briefing is provided by OneKind to give a Scottish perspective on the above Motion in the name of Jim Fitzpatrick, which we hope will receive support from all parties. OneKind, formerly Advocates for Animals, is an animal protection charity based in Edinburgh and with supporters throughout the UK. We have a long record of opposing the use of wild animals in circuses. In recent years we have reported on breaches of licence and leasing conditions by the wild animal circus that toured Scotland up to 2012, and helped to secure local authority policies to prohibit the letting of council land to circuses with animals. With no animal circuses based in Scotland and now no tours by wild animal circuses (although domestic animal circuses do still visit), it may be thought that the current debate is exclusively an English issue. OneKind believes, however, that it is essential that the administrations proceed together to ensure that Scotland does not provide a refuge for wild animal circuses once they are banned in England. Organisations and citizens from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have joined the call for action at Westminster. DEFRA has offered to include other administrations in its proposed Bill to ban wild animals in circuses, and OneKind considers this a sensible and pragmatic approach which we have urged the Scottish Government to accept. With the omission of the Government Bill on wild animal circuses from Her Majesty’s speech at the State Opening of Parliament 2014, however, we have become concerned that the uncertainty in England may affect policy in all UK administrations. We are assured that the current (very expensive) licensing regime governing the keeping of the remaining 23 wild animals in two travelling circuses in England can adequately protect their welfare. OneKind would submit, however, that no amount of inspection can offer these animals a natural life, or can relieve the stress of confinement, constant transport and being made to perform tricks for the sake of public entertainment. Wild animals in travelling circuses are denied the opportunity of practising the most basic natural behaviours such as roaming their own territory and associating with others of their own species, and are kept in captive conditions that would not be permitted in a zoo. As with fur farming, there are strong ethical and moral arguments for banning wild animal circuses. We therefore strongly welcome the 10 Minute Rule debate and hope that Members from Scotland will be able to attend on the initial debate on 3 September and the subsequent Second Reading. We appreciate that there are many calls on Scottish MPs’ time at present. If you are unable to attend this week we hope that you will still take an interest in the Motion. If legislation is introduced promptly, this outmoded and exploitative entertainment could be brought to an end by the originally envisaged implementation date of December 2015. OneKind 10 Queensferry Street Edinburgh EH2 4PG 0131 225 6039 [email protected] www.onekind.org .